DANGEROUS TIES
Don followed David as he silently led the woman out of the room. It was obvious the two knew each other, but to what extent Don had no idea. As their footsteps filled the silent hallway the woman grew visibly calmer. As her sobs stopped, she laid her head exhaustedly on David's shoulder. With a gentleness Don had never noticed in the younger man before David guided the woman out the doors and towards the SUV. Openingthe door he helped her in and whispered again. Closing the door softly he backtracked over to Don. "I get thefeeling you two know each other,"Don stated simply as David faced theSUV. David looked back at Don and nodded. " Yeah," he said as if he had finished carrying a heavy load, "She's one of my neighbors, and a close friend to boot." " How close?" Don asked, his curiousity getting the better of him, and the risk of emotional involvement hanging overhead. " We dated for a few months," David replied honestly, " But we broke it off. It was a mutual agreement," he paused for a second and continued, " There's no reason to worry. Any emotional involvement will not interfere." Don nodded, " I never said it would,"he replied, " And the victim?" " Christina," David answered worn down, " She'sAlly's sister." " Ally being?" Don nodded in the direction of the trailer. "Yeah," David nodded and crossed his arms, " Their parents died when Christina wasin high school. Car crash. She was the only person Ally had left." Don looked at the younger man, trying to penetrate through his shield. He could tell Davidstill liked the young woman in the car. Even if he himself did not know it. " Listen, Don," Davidcontinued, "Can we drop ofAlly atthe apartment complex. I don't think it's safefor her to drive." " Sure, it's probably a good idea seeing her reaction back can get information tomorrow,"Don replied. David nodded in mute thanks and headed for the car. Don looked back at the CalSci building. The thoughts he had before began creeping back into his mind. Closing his eyes he tried to force them back out. Reopening them, he headed for the car. A few seconds later Don saw David exiting out the front entrance. Turning on the engine he waited for David to jump in and strap on a seat belt. " Sorry," David said as Don pulled out, " I couldn't find Ally's spare key." " Didn't she have one of her own?" " No," David replied, " She says she left it in the apartment. She does that a lot. Christina eventually had to have a spare key to put in Ally's purse." Don looked over at David. He could tell by the expression on his face that David was taking a stroll down memory lane. He started to say something when his cell phone rang. Picking it up he answered, " Eppes. Dad. Dad, wait. Slow down. What happened? Did you try talking to him? He hasn't responded? I'll be there as soon as I can." David gave Don a questioning look as he put down the cell phone. " That was my dad," Don replied, " We need to go to the came home early and locked himself in the garage. He hasn't responded to anything my dad said." Don turned a corner rather tightly. It was the only evidence to Don's new emotional state. David grabbed tightly to his arm rest. He, too, was worried. If Charlie had locked himself in the garage, that could only mean he knew about the murder. A sudden thought struck David. The officer had said a male's voice gave the tip. What if the voice was Charlie's?
Don parked on the curb next to a rather large apartment complex. For a moment he was rather suprised. The complex seemed to be swarming with college students. To him David didn't seem like the kind of guy who would enjoy having loud, partying college students as neighbors. That was, of course, only the impression he got off David at the office. In truth he really didn't know much about the younger agent.
Back Home Numb3rs Main Page Next